UAL Extended Diploma UCAS Points: The 2026 Table

Quick answer: The UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma is worth 168 UCAS points for a Distinction, 120 for a Merit and 72 for a Pass (2026 entry). A Distinction carries the same points as three A* grades at A-level.

These are the official values published by UAL Awarding Body, the awarding arm of University of the Arts London, and they match the current UCAS Tariff. The qualification runs over two years, covers creative subjects from art and design to media production and performing arts, and lands one single overall grade — so your entire Tariff total from it rests on one word on your certificate.

UAL Extended Diploma Points by Grade (Full Table)

Every grade of the Extended Diploma and its one-year sibling, the UAL Level 3 Diploma, earns Tariff points in 2026 — and the Diploma is worth exactly half the Extended Diploma at every grade. Find your qualification's column, then your grade's row:

These values apply across UAL's Level 3 subject routes: Art and Design, Creative Practice (Art, Design and Communication), Creative Media Production and Technology, and Performing and Production Arts. The grade scale and the points are identical whichever creative pathway you took.

One naming wrinkle: UAL is replacing its legacy Extended Diploma in Art and Design with the newer Extended Diploma in Creative Practice (final registrations for the older version closed in November 2025). Both carry identical points, so the table covers 2026 applicants holding either.

One Grade, Three Bands: How UAL Grading Works

The Extended Diploma awards a single overall grade — Pass, Merit or Distinction — based on your final major project and portfolio of unit work, not an average of module scores. That makes it structurally different from a BTEC Extended Diploma, which awards three separate grades (like DDM) and produces ten possible point totals. UAL gives you exactly three possible totals, full stop.

The gaps between those bands are big. Moving from Pass to Merit adds 48 points to your total, and Merit to Distinction adds another 48. That is the same swing as an entire A-level at grade A, hanging on one grade boundary. If you're between bands as your final project approaches, no single piece of work in your application carries more Tariff weight.

How the UAL Extended Diploma Compares to BTECs and A-levels

A UAL Extended Diploma Distinction matches the very top of the BTEC and A-level scales: it carries the same 168 points as a BTEC Extended Diploma at D*D*D* and three A-levels at A*. Here is how all three bands line up:

Two comparisons stand out. A Merit is worth the same as BBB at A-level — a solid, widely accepted total that clears the typical entry requirement for most creative degrees. A Pass matches three A-level grade Ds, which reaches Tariff-based courses at the lower end of the scale but falls short of many published offers.

The full BTEC scale, including the two-grade Diploma and single-grade Extended Certificate, is on the BTEC UCAS points table, and every A-level value is on the A-level UCAS points table. If you're an adult learner comparing routes into a creative degree, the Access to HE UCAS points page shows the other common alternative.

Why the 48-Point Jumps Matter More Than on a BTEC

The UAL scale is coarser than any comparable qualification, and that cuts both ways. A BTEC student who slips slightly drops one 8-to-16-point band; a UAL student who slips a grade loses 48 points in one go. The reverse is also true — pushing your final major project from a Merit to a Distinction adds more points than an extra A-level at grade A* would. Plan your effort accordingly: on this qualification, the final grade decision is everything and there are no partial rescues.

How to Count Your UAL Points

Counting the Extended Diploma is the simplest sum on the Tariff: one qualification, one grade, one number. Three rules keep your total honest:

1. Count the overall grade only. Individual units and the final major project carry no separate points — the certificate grade is the whole value.
2. Never count the Diploma and the Extended Diploma together. On the two-year Creative Practice route, colleges certificate the Diploma at the end of year one and the Extended Diploma at the end of year two. The Extended Diploma absorbs the Diploma, so you count 168, 120 or 72 — not that plus another 84, 60 or 36.
3. Add anything genuinely separate. An A-level, AS-level, EPQ or graded music exam taken alongside the diploma is a distinct qualification and adds its full value.

The UCAS points calculator does this arithmetic for you across every qualification type in one total.

Combining With A-levels or an EPQ

Plenty of UAL students sit an A-level or EPQ alongside the diploma, and each one stacks on top. An Extended Diploma Merit plus an A-level at grade B comes to 160 points; a Distinction plus an EPQ at grade A reaches 192. Universities count these combinations without fuss, because each qualification is separately certificated. The rules for mixing qualification types — and the rare cases where a university caps what it counts — are covered in can you mix qualifications?.

Do Universities Accept UAL Extended Diploma Points?

Yes — the Extended Diploma is a recognised Level 3 qualification on the UCAS Tariff, and universities that make points-based offers count it at full value. Acceptance in practice splits three ways:

• Specialist arts universities and art schools — including UAL's own colleges — know the qualification inside out. For these courses, your portfolio and interview typically decide the offer, with the diploma grade confirming you meet the baseline.
• Tariff-based universities (common among post-1992 institutions) publish offers as point totals, such as 112 or 120 points, and a Merit clears the vast majority of them outright.
• Grade-specific courses publish offers in A-level or BTEC grades. Most translate a UAL grade on request, but courses that require named A-level subjects — Maths for engineering, Chemistry for medicine — sit outside what an arts diploma covers, whatever your points.

The honest picture: for creative degrees in fine art, graphic design, fashion, photography, illustration, animation, media production and performing arts, the Extended Diploma is a standard, fully accepted route — often the expected one. For non-creative degrees, treat the points as valid currency at Tariff-based universities and check subject requirements everywhere else. How many UCAS points do I need? helps you size your grade against real course requirements.

What Does NOT Earn Points Here

Four things earn nothing on the Tariff, and knowing them saves you from an inflated total:

• Level 1 and Level 2 UAL diplomas. The Tariff starts at Level 3, so these preparatory qualifications score zero, however useful they were as stepping stones.
• Individual units. No unit, project or module carries its own points — only the final certificated grade.
• An uncertificated first year. Leaving the two-year route partway through earns nothing unless your college certificates you for the one-year Diploma, which then scores 84, 60 or 36.
• Double-counting the nested Diploma. Once the Extended Diploma is awarded, the year-one Diploma inside it stops counting separately.

Your Next Step With Your UAL Points

You now have your number — a Distinction is 168, a Merit 120, a Pass 72 — so the next move is matching it to real courses. A Merit alone clears most published Tariff offers, and a Distinction puts you at the very top of the scale, level with straight A* students. Check the entry requirements for the creative courses you want, keep your portfolio moving, and have your figure ready for results season.

See what you can study with your points

Frequently Asked Questions

How many UCAS points is the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma worth?

A Distinction is worth 168 UCAS points, a Merit 120 and a Pass 72 for 2026 entry. The one-year UAL Level 3 Diploma is worth exactly half at every grade: 84 for a Distinction, 60 for a Merit and 36 for a Pass.

Is a UAL Extended Diploma Distinction equivalent to three A-levels?

In points, yes. A Distinction carries 168 points — the same as three A* grades at A-level and the same as DDD* on a BTEC Extended Diploma. Courses that name specific A-level subjects, such as Maths or a science, still require those subjects regardless of your points.

Do universities accept UAL Extended Diploma UCAS points?

Yes. Creative degree courses and tariff-based universities accept the qualification routinely, and specialist art schools often weigh your portfolio more heavily than the number itself. The main exception is courses that require named A-level subjects the diploma does not cover.

Can I combine the UAL Extended Diploma with A-levels or an EPQ?

Yes. Any A-level, AS-level or EPQ you complete alongside the diploma adds its own points to your total. You cannot count the one-year Diploma and the two-year Extended Diploma together, because the smaller qualification is absorbed into the larger one.

What UAL qualifications earn no UCAS points?

Level 1 and Level 2 UAL diplomas earn nothing, because the Tariff only covers Level 3 study. Individual units carry no points either — only your final overall grade counts, and a first year that ends without a certificated Diploma scores zero.